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The court has a limited ability to make orders for child support in amounts different than what would normally be required by the Child Support Guidelines tables. In general, unless one of the '''exceptions built into the Guidelines''' applies, the court must conclude either that the parents or guardians are making significant direct payments to the children's expenses or that an order under the tables would be unfair before the court will do anything other than make an order following the Guidelines tables.
The same rules apply to parents and guardians who are making agreements about child support. Without one of the Guidelines exceptions or a direct contribution to the children's expenses substituting for the full Guidelines amount, the court is unlikely to uphold an agreement that requires a child support payment less than the Guidelnes Guidelines amount.
This section talks the most common exceptions to the Guidelines tables: where the payor earns more than $150,000 per year; where the parents have split or shared custody of the children; where a minor child has become financially independent; and, where undue hardship is claimed.